The present disclosure relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus provided with a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as a sheet, and a wipe unit with a wiper for wiping off an ink ejection face on the recording head.
As recording apparatuses such as facsimile machines, copiers, and printers, ink-jet recording apparatuses, which form images by ejecting ink, are widely used for their ability to form high-definition images.
In conventional ink-jet recording apparatuses, to prevent dehydration and clogging in ejection nozzles on the recording head, the recording head is typically capped when printing is not performed for a long period of time. Also, recovering operation is generally performed, where the thickened ink inside the ejection nozzles is forcibly pushed out of the ejection nozzles to be wiped off by a wiper. Thus, ink-jet printing apparatuses are provided with a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a cap unit for capping the recording head, and a wipe unit for performing recovery operation for the recording head.
The wiper in the wipe unit is formed to have a width larger than that of the ink ejection face so as not to leave any unwiped area on the ink ejection face on the recording head. If the wiper touches the ink ejection face on the adjacent recording head, the ink ejection face becomes soiled. A plurality of recording heads are thus arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction perpendicular to the wiping direction.